BBC Wolf Hall producer Sir Colin Callender has revealed why he wouldn’t make a show like Disney Plus’ new hit programme Rivals.
Sir Callender is an executive producer behind the final series of Wolf Hall which returns to screens after more than a decade later this month.
The returning historical drama – adapted from the late Hilary Mantel’s 2020 novel The Mirror and The Light – follows statesman Thomas Cromwell (Sir Mark Rylance) who lived between 1485 and 1540 and became a trusted advisor of Tudor King Henry VIII (played by Damian Lewis).
The second season picks up after Anne Boleyn’s execution and introduces Henry’s beloved third wife Jane Seymour played by Kate Phillips.
There’s not much in common between Jilly Cooper’s 80s bonkbuster Rivals and Wolf Hall’s Tudor-era aesthetic although both address themes around sex and nudity.
However, at a recent press event, Sir Callender shared his views on the raunchy 1980s-set show, which opens with a ‘mile-high club’ sex scene and a game of naked tennis.
The Disney+ series – starring Aidan Turner, Danny Dyer, David Tennant and more – has already secured a whopping 94% on Rotten Tomatoes alongside rave audience reviews.
‘The fact that something is successful is not necessarily the sole criteria by which I would judge whether it’s something I would want to make or not,’ he said at the Broadcasting Press Guild event in London, per The Times.
He continued: ‘What are the things that I look for in a show? Is there a big idea that underpins it, that makes it relevant and interesting to a contemporary audience? Does it have something to say?
‘Are the emotions expressed and the situations dramatised truthful? Are they entertaining? Or do they trade in clichés? All the sorts of questions I would ask of a show are such that [Rivals] is not a show I would make.’
And when asked why it was so successful, he added: ‘I’m not sure anything is surprising anymore. I don’t dismiss [looking away from troubling events] as an ambition.’
Rivals producer Dominic Treadwell-Collins recently revealed his difficult experience trying to pitch the adaptation to traditional UK channels over the years.
He told Deadline at the time: ‘I had meetings with the BBC and ITV years ago and when I said, “Would you go for something like Jilly Cooper?” they would look at me like I’d farted.
‘There’s a snobbery about her. Throughout my career I kept mentioning Jilly and everyone sort of laughed at and ridiculed me.’
Callender’s remarks come after lead star Lewis left a journalist surprised when he cut an interview short unexpectedly.
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The first series of Wolf Hall was a major success, drawing in over five million viewers at its peak and securing a Bafta and Golden Globe win for best drama series. As well as several Emmy nominations.
No doubt the show will be hoping to emulate the same success for the six-part finale.
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Watch Wolf Hall: The Mirror and the Light on Sunday, November 10 on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.
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